Tuesday, October 22, 2013

The Political Desk - Any Port in a Storm

Ah, the Port of Seattle. Usually this is a hive of scum
and villainy, good for scandals and vandals. This year, not so much. Yes, we
had Rob Holland (who this blog endorsed) stepping down after getting nicked for
abusing a Port-authorized credit card to the tune of $3K for personal uses, but that is almost quiet for the Port. Most of the Port news
over the past couple years has involved their concerns about yet another sports
stadium going up North of them, and the possibility of teaming up with local
rival port Tacoma for better coordination and to stop undercutting each other.

The Port is (on paper) a non-political office, but here’s
a tell – check out the endorsements. Usually you can find most of the Dems on
one side and most of the Reps on the other. An endorsement from failed
gubernatorial candidate Rob McKenna? Yeah, you might want to avoid that guy, though people do grow in office. So here’s what we got.

Position 1 – Pete Lewis versus John Creighton. This is
interesting. Eight years ago this blog cast a baleful eye upon Mr. Creighton
for getting a lot of cash from the Republican side of the aisle. Now, he’s
getting top marks from the Sierra Club, labor, and a slew of Democrats, and it is his opponent who’s getting the
endorsement from McKenna and the Seattle Times. I’m going with JOHN CREIGHTON on
this one.

Position 2 – Courtney Gregoire versus John Naubert. This
one bugs me because I hate the idea of politics as family business, and Ms.
Gregriore is the daughter of former Governor Gregoire, who I like, but still
there’s the principle of thing. Plus the fact that as an old guy I am resigned
to vote for someone who is named Courtney. But the fact is that she’s got
experience in the area and has strong labor and enviro endorsements and
actually has a functioning web site. Plus she gets an Outstanding from the Muni
League, which may be excessive, but pushes me in her direction. Go with COURTNEY GREGROIRE for this.

Position 3 – Stephanie Bowman versus Michael Wolfe. Ms.
Bowman has had the job since April, and comes well recommended. Mr. Wolfe comes
out of the travel industry (and yeah, the Airport is a port). I’m going with
MICHEAL WOLFE but can perfectly understand if you would prefer Ms. Bowman.

Position 4 –Tom Albro versus Richard Pope. So, Tom Albro. Incumbent, pro-business,
kinda conservative, endorsed strongly by the Seattle Times (which is usually a
warning). But also effective, aggressive, and competent. Yeah, he’s got an Outstanding rating from the Muni League, but he ran
the Muni League for a few years. But he has also been strong on reforming the
Port and pushing for transparency. So
yeah, TOM ALBRO.